Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, of Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 9,213 children and adolescents (aged 6 months–18 years) during the 2010–2011 influenza season. The primary analysis included 7,574 of these participants who had not received influenza vaccine prior to study initiation. Parents of children assigned to the intervention received up to five weekly text messages providing educational information and vaccination clinic information in addition to usual care (automated telephone reminder).

The researchers found that study participants were mainly minorities, with 58% from Spanish-speaking families, and 88% were publicly insured. At the end of the study period, significantly more participants in the intervention versus usual-care group had received an influenza vaccine (43.6 vs. 39.9%; relative rate ratio [RRR], 1.09; P=0.001). At an earlier review date, prior to influenza activity, significantly more participants in the intervention group compared with the usual-care group had received the influenza vaccine (27.1 vs. 22.8%; RRR, 1.19; P<0.001).

"Among children and adolescents in a low-income, urban population, a text messaging intervention compared with usual care was associated with an increased rate of influenza vaccination," the authors write. "However, the overall influenza vaccination rate remained low."